MONTPELIER STATION, Va.--Zabeel Champion (GB), trained by Jack Fisher, won the $100,000, G2, 2 1/2 mile Noel Laing Hurdle Handicap Stakes at Montpelier on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Zabeel Champion left, on his way to winning the Temple Gwathmey last spring (Photo by Tod Marks)Owned by Riverdee Stable and ridden by Freddie Procter, Zabeel Champion won by 11 lengths over Foxy Walk (Ire), trained by Leslie Young, and Too Friendly (GB), also trained by Young.
"He's a very nice horse," said Fisher. "He did that quite impressively."
Zabeel Champion raced in the back of the six horse field, began to move nearing the end, landed in front after the last fence and opened up to win very easily under a hand ride.
"He'll do the same next spring as he did last year, run at Middleburg and Iroquois," said Fisher,
Last year, Zabeel Champion won both those races, the G2 Temple Gwathmey at Middleburg by a length, and the G1 Iroquois by 4 lengths.
The 9-year -old gelding now has five wins, all in stakes, and a third from 11 starts in this country after being imported from England in 2023.
TOM GARNER had his second race meet in a month at which he won three races.
At the International Gold Cup on Oct. 24, Garner won three races, including the Stakes with Lydford.
At Montpelier, he won three races in a row, beginning with Ballybristol Farm's Variable Cost in the $20,000, 2 1/8 mile Maiden Claiming Hurdle.
Variable Cost, ridden by Evan Dwan, won by 11 3/4 lengths over Mission Man, trained by Young, and Mystified, trained by Julie Gomena.
Garner then saddled Butler Hall Racing's Son of Saratoga (Ire), ridden by Dwan, to win the second division of the $20,000 Maiden Claiming Hurdle over Basic Miles, trained by Mark Beecher, and Cracking Connor, trained by Gomena.
Garner also saddled Pecks Caprice's Without (Ire), ridden by Paddy O'Hanlon, to win the $40,000 Maiden Hurdle by 1 3/4 lengths over Moon Sky (Fr), trained by Barry Foley, and Lost in the Dream, trained by Beecher.
Young saddled Silverton Hill's Two Past Eight, ridden by Niall Prendergast, to win the $45,000, 2 3/8 mile Ratings Handicap Hurdle by 1 length over Morning March, trained b Kathy Neilson, and Trevesuras, trained by Cyril Murphy.
Neil Morris had two winner, although one was in the Training Flat with William Russsell's Gold Cart Ryder, ridden by Prendergast, who won by 7 1/2 lengths over Finn McSorley, trained by Garner, and Aspenite, also trained by Norris.
He then saddled Ballybristol Farm's Missionaire, ridden by Prendergast, to win the $30,000 Ratings Handicap Hurdle by 1/2 lengths over Grahamzilla, trained by Ricky Hendriks, and Jhirsh, trained by Laird George.
